authentic

Loving Restored Cars Has 3 Hidden Secrets To Aging Better?

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Would you like a little psychotherapy with that fresh coat of paint?

white and purple vintage car on green grass field during daytime

I had never TRULY appreciated those old vintage cars, all fixed up, that are driven and maintained by older men on the edge of mid-life crises (and sometimes insanity).

Their world revolves disturbingly around these cars, and they attend old, restored car conferences every year to show off their efforts.

They distract themselves by talking about old cars to try to forget they are headed for the scrap heap soon, too, and they pretend that by restoring an old car, they COULD also restore themselves.

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At least that is what is happening beneath the surface for them. However, we may not see a ripple of these neuroses on the surface as they talk incessantly about missing parts and how to help give the exterior another fresh coat of paint to cover over some of the rust and warped frames. In other words, they are actually talking about themselves.

They don’t know it deep down, though there is sort of a hint, an inkling way down deep in their souls, which suggests this may be true.

They would never admit it. (That’s okay, actually. The truly wise know that sometimes, burying neuroses is not SUCH a bad strategy!)

As for me, I had never appreciated old, restored cars when I was young.

Now, I do for some reason that I can’t quite pinpoint.

I mean, the work!

And don’t you think those old cars are MUCH NICER LOOKING and therefore have MUCH MORE VALUE than those cheap imports? And SURE – the newer cars take a bit less work – but have MUCH LESS PERSONALITY?

I mean, I think so.

And so, what are the three hidden reasons why appreciating old cars helps us regain our sanity?

That’s easy:

  1. Appreciating old cars (and dragonflies) awakens us to remember that God is outside of our time line for our lives.
  2. Appreciating old cars reminds us that God loves to fix stuff, too.
  3. Appreciating old cars helps us expand our vision of WHAT God can do in the next season of our lives.

“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: . . . your old men [will] dream dreams.

The Message

And that’s all I have to say for today.

Oh, and did I mention that God loves to restore old cars, too?

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine on us [in favor and approval] . . .

Ancient Text

This is good news, friend!

As the song below sings, “Now is the time for restoration with repentance with transformation,” what do you sense God nudging in your heart? What old dream do you sense rising to the surface again? May you ponder your dreams in times of prayer with God, friend, and may He boldly guide your steps into your next season.

May you have exceeding joy as you drive your restored Corvette with the top down into this next season, friend.

I’ll wave to you as we pass each other!

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

What I’ve Learned About Being Amazing And This Is The way You Can Be Amazing Too!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Ready to swap “BLAH” for “WOW” for your life, friend?

A cat sitting on a bed next to a window

I made this1 quilt.

Yup.

“Who made this quilt?” our friend asked, on visiting our lake cabin and seeing such stunning beauty in this fish quilt that her eyes could no longer focus on anything else, including the picturesque beauty trying to capture her attention outside the window, the sun2 glimmering on the water of the lake.

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“Oh, I did,” I mentioned casually, humbly.

“YOU?”

I tried not to be offended at her incredulous astonishment, as if it was IMPOSSIBLE that I could produce something like this.

“Of course!” I tried to divert her embarrassing incredulity with more of my humbly low self-assessment.

She stuttered and spat in an effort to talk, unsure how to respond.

Which brings us to THE POINT of today’s newsletter.

I’m amazing.

I am ALSO self-assured enough to admit, however much this admission is a drop in the ocean of my grandiosity, a BIT to my perceived or actual faults. (What my therapist called, “Neuroses.” Whatever!)

So that day, a few months later3, I let the judgments of other people affect my actual or perceived self-esteem.

You see, some people think that I waste every day of my life. For example, homeschooling our kids has much less value in our society than it could, as mentioned HERE, where every person I met at the party after I began homeschooling my children desperately needed to speak to someone ELSE at the party. When I had a culturally successful career, people gathered around ME (!) at the party to hear my stories. I will vulnerably admit to not being perfect soon (I’M GETTING THERE, OKAY?), but I’m still building myself up first.

It’s a well-worn strategy that works for me.

That day, about a year ago, I had been visiting a new friend’s house, and it was repleef4 with beauty created by inhabitants of the house who love to make things. There were improvements everywhere we looked, which spoke to the talent and eye for beauty of both of these remarkable people. You know the type – They’re sooo annoying that they make us feel immature! I’m sure you can relate!

My editor says I have to be specific here, so imagine this:

  • handmade railings with wooden details that a machine could never create
  • bits of driftwood carefully crafted into various animals as décor on the table (Made by THEM – the jerks!)
  • beautifully handmade curtains (I made curtains once! Just saying)
  • gorgeous quilts reminiscent of nature scenes and other indescribable beauty adorning every wall

And THE POINT of today’s Substack “Newsletter5.”

I found that my self-esteem had drastically plummeted after encountering this house.

“Why don’t I have quilts on every wall?” I wondered to myself.

My husband and I “do other stuff,” which is another way of saying we waste our time playing video games, and so our house doesn’t look quite as decorated with handmade beauty!

To add insult to injury, throughout the previous year and after this visit to the home, I continued to feel a nagging urge to write.

But at the end of every day of writing, I don’t have a beautiful new sculpture for my coffee table.

So, after I finished comparing myself to them and firmly grounded myself in a culture of competitively creating art (This is the culture that I personally value and gravitate towards), I was a lowly worm in the food pyramid of that worldview.

Until the next day.

Until I felt God nudging me to set my sights in the direction He was looking.

But that conversation is for next time.

THE POINT is that sometimes we don’t set our sights for ourselves in quite the right place.

And so, how do we become amazing? We trust God and follow Him on the adventure He has for our lives. True, we may not be amazing according to how others (I.e., quilt culture) see us, but if God and our Mom like us, isn’t that what matters, friend?

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

As the song below sings “show me who I am and who I’m made to be”, consider asking God how you may have inadvertently aligned your perceived value with what our culture values. How does God see you, friend? And in what direction, even if it’s a bit off-center, is He asking you to travel?

God, help us all to have eyes for you alone, we pray.

You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever

The Message

Photo Credit – A Quilt! (Not My Quilt – See Footnote 1) by Linus Belanger on Unsplash

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1 Actually I can’t find the picture I took of the quilt I made but who says I’m NOT organized?

2 Or Son – This type of beauty reminds me of its Creator

3 Unlike every other day when I am full of wisdom

4 Fancy word! – Wait, my editor says that’s NOT a word? What does she know! I like that word so it stays!

5 Ha! This is news? Haha!

HALLOWEEN ADVICE: Revere A Good God Instead Of Foul Demons!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

person holding pink flower

So, I’ve been reading about becoming a successful and influential online figure that others look up to and admire.

Did I mention that yet?

Click HERE to continue reading.

To Longtime Subscribers: I love you! And see the bottom of this Newsletter for A Note About Reposting This Month’s Demonic-Themed Newsletters

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Why Whining Is Remarkably Preferable To Actually Acting Maturely

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
boy opening his mouth

I proved to you that I am mature HERE. However, I prefer whining, usually. It’s less risky.

To Longtime Subscribers: I love you! And see the bottom of this Newsletter for A Note About Reposting This Month’s Demonic-Themed Newsletters

Click HERE to continue reading.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

How To BE Physically Stronger Than You Actually ARE!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
man flexing muscles

So other times, I briefly referenced when I went to another country and how I accidentally (I didn’t mean to!) humiliated some people in a poverty-stricken town by winning some arm wrestling matches against the regional men because I was stronger than I appeared.1

I should explain, and give MY point of view so you can empathize with me.

Or maybe I should ask God for forgiveness for being a cultural horror, but it’s easier to convince you to feel sorry for me so that I can feel justified. Let’s go with the latter option today because I don’t have much time, and getting to a place of feeling bad about stuff I did wrong takes some time and effort.

First of all, we need some context.

It all started many years earlier when I also won (Do you notice a theme here – of me being a WINNER?) a push-up contest against someone much stronger and fitter than me, my older brother.

The following is what happened:

My brother was the kind of guy who ate chips and hot dogs at every meal and was usually found on the couch, vegging out and watching TV. Then he moved out, and the next time I saw him -Wow! – He got fit!

man in blue tank top and black shorts holding black dumbbell

The problem was that my self-esteem couldn’t easily handle this transition.

I have ALWAYS been the SUPER FIT one in the family (Proof HERE). “I MUST still be fitter than my couch potato brother!” I assumed.

“Yeah, you’re a little bit more fit than you were before you moved out,” I humbly admitted to my older brother. “But OF COURSE I’m STILL a LOT fitter than YOU!” My reality began to keel off-center when he challenged me to a push-up contest.

“HA!” I said with fake confidence, “OF COURSE!”

We settled on a tasty treat for a prize the OTHER sibling would pay for.

He bought me the prize because I WON (!) the push-up contest.

I want to end this Newsletter here, but my Editor (meanie) says I HAVE to finish this story for “Context” – whatever that means. So the next day, my brother shoveled sand and helped with other demanding physical labor around the house. (I couldn’t get out of bed for three days. My editor says I HAVE to put that part in there. But I don’t see how that statement is even relevant to the story!)

Anyway, how do we BECOME physically stronger than we ACTUALLY ARE? That’s easy! We fake it!

To soar through life, like I do, look down your nose at other people, and assume that you MUST BE better than them!

Then you’ll become a WINNER like me!

We may have to pay a bit in the next few days because we cannot get out of bed, but THINK OF THE GLORY that you will overshadow your brother and other rivals with!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Wait – The Point of this Newsletter doesn’t sit PERFECTLY with me today. Those who are more spiritually mature than I (and there AREN’T many of those!) mention something about sitting down and finding our TRUE identity as a child of God so that we are not hurting ourselves emotionally, physically or spiritually by trying to appear superior to who we are.

I keep forgetting stuff like that.

And once we really GET that stuff, then it’s okay EVEN to admit to being a loser! And the good news is that, thankfully, being a loser does not define us, either!

All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! . . .He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do . . .

The Message

And once we figure that stuff out, then we can tell the truth, EVEN about ourselves, and EVEN on the internet!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Photo Credit – I Feel This Strong Too! by Jakob Owens on Unsplash and Lorenzo Hamers on Unsplash

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1I can’t do everything right, ok?!

How To Make God Like YOU Better Than OTHERS!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a man holding a laptop

The question that keeps me up at night is:

How can God like me BEST, BETTER than other people?

My “Therapist” (What does SHE know?) says that these thoughts of comparison and drivenness are rooted in some sort of neurosis deep down, but I doubt that! Anyway, practically speaking, don’t we ALL want the teacher to like US best? Or the boss? Or even our friends?

Of course!

So, those are the types of questions that keep me up at night. And then God seemed to help me understand how to be his favorite! (I DO know that sentence is “Officially” a “Heresy” or whatever, but stay with me, because what God showed me is -Surprise! – theologically accurate, once you understand my point!)

Anyway, this is what happened.

It seemed God was highlighting the word “Beautiful” to a few of us.

How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!

Ancient Text

There was something God wanted to reveal to us about this word.

As shown in this quote below, God isn’t quite as hung up about physical beauty as we are.

“Looks aren’t everything . . . God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”

The Message

So He couldn’t be talking about that.

And in my prayer time, God seemed to show me a picture of two golden cups, one tarnished1, one polished.

Does one of these cups have less value? He seemed to ask my soul.

No! Of course not. Bought by a gold buyer, they would pay equally for both cups as they have EQUAL value.

So it is with my children, He seemed to whisper.

I think God was saying that ALL of his children have EQUAL VALUE in His eyes.

But some are a little more polished or beautiful.

I wondered how to polish oneself. I suddenly realized that a cup can’t polish itself! “How do we get polished a bit more?” I wondered

Let Me polish you, He seemed to whisper. As you draw near to me and seek me, I am polishing you.

And so I thought I would share what I learned here today with you so that maybe God will EVEN like you as much as He likes me!

Or maybe The Point is that:

If we knew how much God valued and loved us, we wouldn’t care how much He loved anyone else.

And I felt calmed, somehow, loved, and like I could finally take my unbearable list of “To-Do” items, the ones that I unconsciously think will help God to “like me” a bit more, and put it over there, far away, in the pile of stuff that God longs to burn. And I felt a bit more free. Maybe I don’t need to be better than others.

My therapist must be wrong!

(At least, I think that’s what she was getting at. See Paragraph One, above, but I am a bit confused whenever she speaks if I’m honest).

God LIKES me, as I already proved definitely HERE. And He LIKES you, too, and finds you more and more beautiful as you allow Him to purify your golden cup in the fire of His Presence. And there is our freedom.

If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, read this ancient story and let the metaphor sit inside your heart for a bit as you ponder, reflect and thank God for this truth.

(And God will be polishing your gold cup a bit more, even as you do this, friend.)

Photo Credit – Good News! by Jade Destiny on Unsplash

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1 (*I DO know that only silver tarnishes in real life, not gold, but this is a metaphor, remember? And I believe God considers each of His children to be of the highest value, of gold, so that’s why gold is in the picture. Can we return to the point now?)

Want To Become Less Nuts Now? (Non-)Expert Psychotherapy For Free!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Last time, I told you everything I know about Psychotherapy. Here are five steps to summarize the previous post on fighting overwhelm based on my experience with Psychotherapy. (With any luck, these steps will also help us to become a little less nuts – The point of this post).

1. We slow down.

2. We quiet ourselves.

3. We come as we are, bringing our scattered emotions and lifting our situations to God.

4. We wait.

5. We listen.

Click HERE to continue reading.

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Falling Off The Cliff Of Invisible Cultural Cues? It’s Thrilling That The Most Needed Cure Is Here Right Now

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
man in black crew neck t-shirt lying on gray rock

I was swimming that day when God seemed to whisper in my ear, touching a deeper place in my heart with the words that called me to correct the direction of my life by only a degree.

This is what happened.

I was mindlessly living my life, as we all do, being blown by the wind of the general opinions and attitudes of others, as the hidden currents of our culture pull us. (And by the way, if you think you are immune to the pushes and pulls of your current culture, that is the very air you breathe, then HAHAHAHAHAH! We laugh at you!) The only thing more ridiculous than being blown by the wind of the general opinions and attitudes of the culture you live in is NOT KNOWING you are being blown by the wind and of your culture!

THE POINT is that we are all shaped by the voices of others that enter our minds unobserved, and that God’s voice serves as a salve, as medicine, correcting our lives by a degree or two, if our ears are open to hearing Him convicting us.

This is what happened to me recently.

I had been swimming that day, as I do in that lake in the summer.

Usually, I see one fish, maybe two, as I swim along before I tire.

But that day I saw a school of fish, something rare in this lake. “Wow!” I thought. When I saw another school of fish, a large fish, and another large fish, and then two more huge schools of fish, I began to think, “This is VERY, VERY unusual.”

Literally hundreds more fish passed me that day, until I finally asked, “God, do you want to speak to me?” through this very unusual situation.

And He did speak. And His voice healed my heart. But that is for next time because my time is up again, and as mentioned HERE, your attention span is much too short (No! It’s NOT that I get distracted and forget what I’m even writing about – of COURSE NOT!)

God uses anything, everything, to grab our attention – poke and startle us a little- if our eyes, ears, and hearts are open to this possibility.

How is God trying to wake you lately, friend?

And so, the best way to course correct to avoid walking off the cliff by the invisible wind of culture? Clean out your ears to the voice of God, friend. He’s already speaking. We simply need to find our ears on the ground and reattach them to hear what He is saying—more on this next time.

Photo Credit – Will He Fall Off The Cliff Or Receive Help? by Felipe Souza on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Let’s journey together!

Are You A Spiritual Loser? How To Get An “A” On Your Spiritual Report Card!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

a statue of a man standing on top of stacks of money

Photo Credit – Loser and Winner by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash – Notice that the “Winner” here has less money than the “Loser,” so it’s not about more money, but you already know that! For additional proof, however, consider this quote from one of the wisest people I know:

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.

Jim Carrey

While training for a triathlon, I was pretty fit.

I swam to my friend’s home two bays down at the lake where we were staying as a regular training exercise.

Then I suddenly got a bit older, and I wasn’t QUITE as fit anymore, at least as I thought I was. “Could I swim to her home again?” I asked myself. A few quick years had passed, of sitting on the couch and eating donuts at every meal, but otherwise, I still felt pretty fit. That summer day, I swam and swam. I did it! Wow!

I sat on her wharf in my solo victory party, my pride rising around me like a great cloud, buoying up my low self-esteem until the cloud tried to suffocate me with the sudden unwelcome thought, “But CAN I swim back home?

No walking trails existed along the shore of these “boat access only” cottages, and of course, cell phone reception was an impossibility in that remote area, even if I did have a phone with me (I didn’t, of course).

My stomach quavered.

How would I get home?

And The Point of this Newsletter is that sometimes, as graciously illustrated HERE and HERE, we aren’t QUITE as amazing as we imagine ourselves to be.

What if that’s true spiritually, too?

Now, before you hold up your hands and caution me against speaking further, responding with the most common objection, like: “Well, at LEAST I’m not Ted Bundy or someone super bad like that! Therefore, I’m sure God will open the Great Golden gates to me!”

Again, I ask, what if being a bit “nicer” than a serial killer like Ted Bundy is STILL not an “A” on your spiritual report card according to Jesus?

(Just asking the question).

And so, how did I get home that day that I swam WAY too far and exhausted myself with my pride? A person I knew saved me. As I swam, when I saw someone I knew, I would crawl up their ladder onto their wharf to sit awhile, resting (and pretending to visit while I caught my breath), until I had enough strength to continue my journey.

And luckily for you, that’s how you can find the way to your true home, too – Just drag your tired butt out of wherever you are struggling just to get by, and rest awhile with Jesus.

He’ll give you some food for your journey, a blanket to warm your soul with increasingly authentic relationships, and a map to guide your unique life adventure to begin soaring like a bird in the sky with Him.

A white bird flying through a cloudy blue sky

He energizes those who get tired . . . but those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar . . .

The Message

And the best part? God will swing open those Golden Gates to anyone who is friends with His son. What have you got to lose except a bit of suffocating pride that you don’t REALLY want anyway?

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!